Jacksonville on a Tankful

Our local news station in Orlando always does neat specials on daycations you can take in the state of Florida. They call the segment “Florida on a Tankful,” since you can enjoy the entire daycation on one take of gas.

Today we did our own little daycation on one tank of gas and drove allllll over Jacksonville!

Before loading into the car, we headed downstairs for the hotel’s complimentary breakfast.

Oatmeal + Cottage Cheese + Honey Nut Cheerios

Like yesterday, I enjoyed a bowl of oatmeal and the top of a yummy cheese muffin.

Sweet Cheese Muffin

I also split a Belgian waffle with my sister.

Waffle

With full bellies, we headed over to the Mayo Clinic hospital so I could tour the place where my mom had her surgery.

I was so impressed with the design of the hospital and how the hospital felt very non-hospitaly (that’s a technical term 😉 ). As someone who is terrible with all things medical, the lack of a hospital smell really stuck out to me.

Jacksonville Tour

After our brief tour, we piled into the car to drive around Jacksonville. My family actually lived in Jacksonville from 1986 – 1991 and my sister was born here in 1989.

We drove around our old neighborhood and stopped by our old house!

Our Old House

The house is actually for sale at the moment, so we were able to peek in all the windows without looking like total creep-os. 😀 We even checked out the back yard and the pool!

Our next stop was the St. John’s River, where I apparently caught an eel while fishing when I was a toddler.

Walkin' to the River

Smiling by the St. James River

The weather today is beyond gorgeous! There’s practically no humidity and the breeze feels fantastic against your skin. We definitely took advantage of such a nice day and headed out to the beach to walk around for a bit as well.

Lunch

Eventually our hunger got the best of us and we headed to The Homestead Restaurant for Mother’s Day Brunch.

The Homestead Restaurant

We all opted for the buffet and filled our plates to the brim.

My Plate

The food definitely had that home-cooked flava!

For dessert I enjoyed a small slice of carrot cake, the icing off of a piece of chocolate cake and a small slice of key lime pie.

Carrot Cake

I think I overdid it a bit at brunch because my tummy felt a little sick after brunch. I was really hungry when we arrived at the restaurant and I don’t think I paced myself very well. Don’t you worry, I feel much better now!

Animal Crackers De-Coded

Thanks to all of you who weighed in on the Animal Cracker debate!

You guys seemed as confused as my family did! Answers for the mysterious cracker ranged from a rhino to a sheep to a llama to a wild goat! You all had me laughing. 😀  

Special thanks to Tess for providing this link. It seems as though the cracker in question was actually a hippo!

Heading Back

I’m about to hit the road for Orlando.

I’m sad to be leaving my family but I am super excited because Ryan’s hiking trip concluded a bit early and I’ll be seeing him, Sadie and his dad this evening!

I hope you’re all enjoying a wonderful Sunday.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers out there. 😀

Identifying the Animal Cracker

To me, peel-and-eat shrimp epitomize beach food. You know you’re near the beach when peel-and-eat shrimp, clams and oysters pop up on the menu!

Last night, my mom was feeling a little sleepy and needed to rest, so my dad, sister and I headed out to Billy’s Boat House Grill, a nearby seafood restaurant.

Billy's Boat House Grill

We knew we found a winner when fresh seafood options basically took over the menu.

My dad, sister and I ordered a  pound of peel-and-eat shrimp, a grilled fish sandwich, conch chowder and a salad and basically shared everything.

Peel-and-Eat Shrimp

Fish Sandwich

I definitely ate more than my fair share of the shrimp. They were so easy to peel and perfectly seasoned.

Check out all the peels in front of me…

Me, My Dad & Shrimp Peels

Smiling Sister

After placing a to-go order for a quesadilla to bring back to my sleeping mom, we headed back to the hotel.

My mom was waking up as we entered the room. Perfect timing!

We spent the rest of the evening cuddled up in one bed watching Bringing Down the House before hittin’ the hay around 11 p.m.

I feel pretty well-rested today and am excited to head to breakfast and spend Mother’s Day with one heck of a fantastic mother. 😀

Identifying the Animal Cracker

I practically ate my body weight in Animal Crackers yesterday (Seriously, they’re so addicting) and found myself puzzled by this lil’ guy:

What Am I?

My whole family is perplexed by this particular cracker, so I ask you…

What kind of animal is it!?